In cinema graphic and other visual art endeavors, it is often desired to increase the range of viewing perspectives, to obtain various special effects and capture scenes from angles and elevations that are not available from a camera on a tripod or held by a camera man. This is particularly true in the recording of sporting events. Various systems have been developed to address these goals, including elevating and pivoting boom arms, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,778, and steady cam mounts for aircraft, as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,512.
While these approaches do increase the range of viewing angles and elevations, they often involve complicated componentry that is typically difficult to operate by a cameraman alone and is almost certainly too large to be held and maneuvered by a cameraman alone. The size and weight of the equipment often limits access to desired viewing and recording areas.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a remote camera positioning system that is capable of being supported, operated and maneuvered by a sole cameraman.